We are well into December with no sign of snow. While I enjoy the 40 plus degree weather my kids keep asking, “When’s it gonna snow?” As if I have any control over the weather, wouldn’t that be a great super mom power? Since I can’t make it snow, I opted to create a glitter wonderland where snow falls at a moment’s notice housed under mason jars.

The shimmering magic of ‘snowfalls’ captures their attention inside this classic and simple toy.

Supplies:

Almost any jar works for this project: Baby-food, pimiento, and olive jars are good choices. Look for plastic or ceramic figurines (metal ones are prone to rust). You’ll also need epoxy or super glue, distilled water, glitter, and glycerin. I found all my supplies at Hobby Lobby.

Instructions:

With clear-drying epoxy, glue the figurine to the inside of the lid, and let the glue dry.

Fill the jar almost to the top with distilled water; add a pinch of glitter and a dash of glycerin to keep the glitter from falling too quickly. Don’t add too much, or the glitter will stick to the bottom of the jar when it’s flipped.

When summer arrived, I breathed a sigh of relief while sipping a big ol’ glass of ice tea as I banished my kids outdoors to play. All summer long, my kids would be outside making forts, sponge bombs, and riding bikes. As a work at home mom, this meant sweet sanity for me. But the leaves are changing–falling down to the cooler shivering temperatures forcing us inside as snow blankets the ground.

Needless to say, it forced me to get pretty creative in terms of entertaining all three of my kids (15, 8, 6). Below is a roster of activities to delight kids of all ages. All you need are a few simple, inexpensive supplies and today’s feature is DIY LAVA LAMPS plus 40 more cabin fever ideas guaranteed to keep your kids busy and saving your sanity at the same time!

DIY LAVA LAMPS

Inspire your little scientists with just a few household supplies and watch this activity keep your kids busy for hours or until the Alka Seltzer tabs run out! This activity was featured on Nebraska.tv.

SUPPLIES:

Plastic Bottles (Any kind will do, remove label)

Vegetable Oil

Water Food Coloring

Alka-Seltzer

Directions:

1. Fill your bottle about two-thirds of the way with oil and the rest of the way with water, leaving about an inch free at the top.NOTE: We liked watching the water layer sink to the bottom, but we had to wait a while for the bubbles to disappear for the next step.

2 Add several drops of food coloring. (If you added water first, it’ll take a little while for the drops of food coloring to “break through” and tint the water.)

3. Break an Alka-Seltzer tablet into three or four pieces. Then drop a piece in and watch the magic.

4. As soon as the tablet hits the layer of water, it will start to fizz and the colored water will erupt!

5. The bubbles will stop as soon as the tablet dissipates, but they’ll will start up again as soon as you add another tablet. If the oil layers starts to become cloudy with tiny bubbles, just let it settle for a while. Then you can do some more.

Line up your dinning room chairs and ask your children to collect favorite toy characters like Handy Manny, Elmo, and Stitch. In your best airplane voice, ask all passengers to board flight 1522 headed to Newcastle, Wyoming. Then collect their tickets.

Tips: To make this more fun, create tickets ahead of time and add a mini dvd player to watch movies “in flight”, complete the flight with snacks.

We usually make this in the summer — outdoors but it has become an indoor favorite too. For hours of fun, FLARP glows in the dark, makes fart noises and is squishy fun. NOTE: It is non-stick which should leave you worry free about what it sticks to!! Click here for FLARP HOW TO’S.

Another fun crafty experiment which will keep your kids from bouncing off the walls as they bounce their balls! This was one of my first posts on my blog! Click here for instructions and fun with Home Made Bouncy Balls.

7. Spider Web with Painter’s Tape

This craft needs no explanations. Easy, simple, my son and his friends LOVE it. Give your kids painter’s tape, hanging it at different angles. Then have them toss little newspaper balls at it!

Need more Snow Day Ideas? Have no fear, here is a quick list from an old post, I brought it all here for you to pin or print to keep handy. 🙂

8. Make Use of the Snow

Might as well embrace the snow. Toss your kiddos outside with a shovel and have them shovel the driveway and sidewalks. If they have extra energy and can stand the cold, suggest they shovel the neighbor’s drive way too.

9. Hot Coco Magic

Provide your kids with bowls, scoop up the snow and add it to your sauce pan. They will love watching it melt into chocolately goodness on the stove top with you.

This makes another sweet snack for your kids. Boil real maple syrup for 10 minutes, stirring often. Then carefully take the syrup outside. Have your kids find a smooth, clean area and pour the syrup into the snow. Have fun and draw your kids names in the snow with it. Just be sure the syrup has cooled before picking it up and nibbling on it. You can find another recipe at Family Go.Com

11. Snowman Marshmallows

Marshmallow snowmen: put three jumbo marshmallows on a plate to create the snowman’s body. Add chocolate chips for eyes and buttons and a butterscotch chip for the nose. Then, stick the whole thing in the microwave for about 7 seconds. Take out and attach thin pretzel sticks for arms. Then, enjoy this gooey treat!

12. Polar Express

Create a train like atmosphere with your furniture. Have your kids make train tickets. Then read the story and let their imagination take off. My kids love playing “train” or “Polar Train,” it’s similar to our plane idea above but this idea is magical near Christmas time.

13. Spa Day with DIY GEL Nails.

I have two girls, we round up our mani & pedi supplies and stake out a place near the fireplace. You can do this with your girls, paint toes and giving facials. For DIY Gel Nails at home, click here for the post. DIY GEL Nails on a dime.

14. Game On

Mostly boys? They love competition, consider a Wii tournament or Uno.

15. Make Snow Ice Cream

Scoop up snow in waffle cones or cups.

1/2 cups half & half or whole milk

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

4 cups of clean snow or shaved ice

Blend the milk, sugar and vanilla together until the sugar dissolves. Mix 4 cups of snow & stir until you get the same consistency of ice cream. Add toppings or chocolate syrup to make a Snowy Sundae!

In a saucepan, mix flour, salt, cream of tartar, scent ingredient, and oil. Slowly mix in water until it’s all smooth. Then turn the heat on medium and stir until it forms a ball of dough. I used a heat-resistant rubber spatula so I could scrape the bottom of the pan easily. Once it’s a ball, plop it onto some wax paper until it’s cool enough for you to touch.

Put the sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan and then slowly mix in cold water. Then cook the mixture over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly until you have a smooth gel. Let cool and then add dishwashing soap. Divide into as many containers as you would like colors and then mix in food coloring drops until you have you desired color. If you have colored dishwashing soap that can influence all the colors you try to create, which isn’t always a bad thing. Here’s another recipe for finger paint.

If homemade paints is for the birds, simply break out your store bought paints and let them go to town on creating. If you’re really brave, let them add glitter to their masterpieces.

19. Taffy Time

Have a Taffy Pull in your kitchen with your kids. I remember doing this every Christmas with my grandma. I may have to purchase some supplies and do it. You can find the directions here: Berkshire Cottage.

20. Indoor Snow Castles

My kids love this but be prepared for a little bit of mess. Bring in your kiddie pool and add buckets of snow. Provide your kids with their sand making supplies. OR add the snow to your tub. I like the tub, easier and less mess.

21. Color Free Printables

There just isn’t enough time in the day to be creative. Consider finding free printable coloring pages for your kids. Most sites like Nick Jr, Disney, etc have printables.

22. Computer time

There are several sites online for your child’s education use and fun. We use ABC Mouse and Starfall.com, Other sites we like are Nick Jr and PBS Kids.

23. Snow Fun

There is always the best traditions of snow angels and snow ball fights. Take pictures and capture the moments.

24. Snow Fort

Too cold to go outside? Make a fort inside, using blankets and pillows, watch a movie from the fort!

Hang up some sparkly sheets and beads, add tulle or anything fun fabric, then have your girls dress up in their favorite costumes and have a fashion shoot!

25. Sock Toss

My kids loved the sock toss when they were toddlers. Arrange baskets, buckets, or paper bags in the middle of your living room floor, stuff socks into balls. Whoever gets the most socks in the baskets wins. (Or make a sock fishing game like we did here.)

26. Science Fun!

Satisfy your pint-sized scientist. Volcano, rockets, super gel. Most of the stuff is made from things already in your house. Just check it out here.

Do you have a Skype account? Facebook? Google Plus? All of them have video chats now. And if you can’t video chat, just call! Grandma and grandpa would LOVE to hear from their grandkids!!

29. Bring the snow INSIDE!!

Grab a few buckets of snow and put it in the bathtub. Have your kids put on gloves and go to town. The mess is minimal and the fun is maximum! Plus, you don’t have to worry about kiddos getting too cold!

30. Feed the birds!

When it is snowing the birds have a harder time finding food. Now’s your chance to help out and give the kids an educational something to do! You can roll a toilet paper or papertowel holder with peanut butter and popcorn (or bird seed if you have some) or check out these other ways to make simple feeders. Or you can check out how we used gelatin to make a feeder.

31. Masking Tape City

Have kids who love cars? Get them started on a living room city project. The tape outlines the streets. Then the cars can drive around and even up and over some couches, chairs and such.

32. Octopus Spaghetti Use hot dogs and spaghetti. Mix with cheese. All kinds of kid fun. **If it is cold: FREEZE BUBBLES!!

Hey Mamas, I made T-shirt bags with my kids today. Pretty entertaining giving a 4-year-old “big girl scissors.” Here is a snap shot of what we made and how we made it, for the instructables (A.k.a instuctions), head over to The Mom Initiative to check it out. There you’ll find more cute photos and step by step directions! P.s. Oh! And don’t forget to pin it to your pinterst boards!

Empty the bottles of glue into the mixing bowl. Fill the empty bottles of glue with water and put the lids back on. Shake ’em like a Polaroid picture. 🙂 Empty into the mixing bowl with the glue. Add the Glo-It.

Then add the food coloring of your choice! We chose neon colors.

Stir together. Set aside. Add 1/2 cup warm water to 1 tsp. of Borax in a different plastic container like a plastic cup or small bowl and stir until it’s mostly dissolved. Pour it into your glue bowl. Stir and you will see that it instantly thickens up and gets all stringy.

Set your spoon aside and use your hands to continue mixing. Trust me, it’s the only way to do it. If you notice after awhile that it’s still messy and not coming together, add another tsp. Borax to about 1/8 cup warm water and stirred to dissolve. Then I mixed it in with the rest of the Flarp. Perfect! Store it in a plastic zip close bag or other air tight container.

Find any small container and hand it over to your kids, they will know how to make it “fart.” Later, once they are done “flarping”, store in a plastic bag underneath a light. This will make it glow later!

Note: It might help to mix the Glo with the food coloring for a better “glow”. Ours glowed but not as much as we would like.

It’s summer! Love the warm weather, loathe the phrase, “I’m bored.” Between Pinterest and other fun sites, I’ve put together a list of crafts and fun things to keep your sanity and keep them busy!

1. Carboard Cars by Kifli es Levendula

How cute is this toilet paper tube car craft from kifli es levendula? Start saving your empty rolls now, so you and your kids can make a garage full of these adorable autos. Simply paint the cardboard cylinders in bright colors and let dry, then cut out and paint (or color) circular “wheels” from a cardboard box and attach to the tube with brass-plated round head fasteners. Use scissors or an x-acto knife to cut a rectangular slot on the top of the tube and push the flap back to create a seat. Then let your kids decorate their vehicles with numbers, chevron stripes…or whatever strikes their fancy. Add a masking tape starting line and you’ve got the makings of a race!

3. Camp in. Too hot to go outside. Set up a tent indoors, better yet pretend you’re camping the beach. Lay out towels, make s’mores and let the fun begin.

4. Project runway. Have your kids dress up their stuffed animals and create a “runway” in your living room with pillows. Crank some music and let those stuffed pups stuff their stuff.

5. Bake/Cook: Experiment with recipes and find ones your child can learn to do on their own.

6. Decorate Flip Flops. Load up on your child’s favorite color of beads, sequins and flowers. Then create masterpieces on their fliplops with a hot glue gun.

7. Change Search. Have the kids comb through the house looking for extra pennies, nickels etc. Then with the change take them to get their favorite flavor of icecream.

8. Make homemade popsicle. Fill the blender with their favorite fruit, add 1 to 3 Tablespoons of Agave Nector and blend! Pour into trays and serve when frozen.

9. Drive in theater. Have your create cars out of large old cardboard boxes.

10. Fly Kites

11. Catch Lighting Bugs

12. Hunt for bugs. Give each child a jar and a list of bugs to find.

13. Create a memory Jar. Give each child a set of permanent markers and a canning jar. Let them decorate it and then each day they can fill in with an example of a memory they created for that day. At Supper, discuss what each child has in her jar.

14. FREE Month of movies: I always recommend grabbing a free month of Netflix. During the Summer I allow the kids to watch more tv than during the school year. Sometimes we watch 1 movie per day. Or if we have a “pj party” we may watch a few. I love free, so our first month was completely free. I chose to continue and pay $7.99 per month. Well worth it especially in the summer months.

16. Freeze N Smash. Fill a bowl full of water and several small toys like the kind you can find in a dollar bin or from Happy Meals. Freeze it and let the kids go to town with hammers smashing the ice to free their toys.

17. Make Bangles. I found this project at 1825. Purchase oven bake clay and have your kids twist, mash and mix different colors to make their bangles. Then bake the bangles at 275 degrees for 15 minutes. Let them cool completely.

18. Glowsticks in the Tub: Make bathtime more fun with glowsticks, toss a few in and let their imaginations take over.